Inter-grant Festival

Project Initiator: Ching-I

Project Manager: Penelope

Inter-grant Fest *An annual platform at Arts On Site celebrating the voices of international artists who have successfully navigated the US immigration process.

Venue: Arts On Site: 12 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

Inter-grant Fest is…

*A platform where international freelance artists are supported to create and share their works without hazardous application processes

*Inter-grant Festival comes from the words "international" and "immigrant", combined to play words that are juxtaposed to the United States in various landscapes. Dancemaker Ching-I Chang, originally from Taiwan, created the festival after navigating 7 different visa applications and 20 years of dance-art making in the United States.

Inter-grant fest is multi-fold in mission. Some goals for the longterm (5-6 years) are to raise awareness within the art community that we share a strong capacity for support. The work is not monetarily initiated, but through study and action. It is an act of healing by investing in relationships with artists from the international immigrant community. Most importantly, the goal is to reserve a sacred space to CELEBRATE the unique artists which navigate between the membranes of the U.S. socio-political-economic climate, enriching the conversation and above all, the creative process.

Ching-I would like artmakers from the diverse communities to make art for the inter-grant Festival in the years to come. We curate works by prioritizing international artists from Caribbean, Middle East, Latinx-America, indigenous communities and Asia. The unique multi-dimensional lens that our artists display for each festival will give the audience a chance to witness artmaking from different cultures, appreciate the wisdom of shared history, and consider the lessons that come from further meditation thereon. When the festival is funded by proper grant support, the inter-grant community will be better appreciated. We want this festival as a space for their art to grow, bathe, and breathe in care.

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Huiwang Zhang on his process for the festival in 2024, "As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him, and forced the tanks to halt to avoid running him over." – “The repeated shifting of positions and obstructing the impossible is the metaphor I am grappling with for the performance with Ching-I at Arts on Site. I want this work to heal generational political trauma caused by unforeseen historical forces.”